


Our blossoming planet

by Jverse



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Hope's Peak Academy (Dangan Ronpa), Alternate Universe - No Killing Game (Dangan Ronpa), F/M, Family Fluff, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:22:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21953611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jverse/pseuds/Jverse
Summary: Back on Earth, Kaito is prepared to enjoy the start of the spring season. Staying happily at his family's side, his feet got more grounded to the virtues of his home planet... but although his mind has always travelled high over space, he's not feeling any different here. The stars are where you want to find them.
Relationships: Harukawa Maki/Momota Kaito
Comments: 2
Kudos: 6





	Our blossoming planet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Signel_chan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Signel_chan/gifts).



The sky was open clear, barely showing little traces of clouds and letting the sunlight expand in all its glory. Walking down the street on his way back home, there was only one man stopping by to look up at the blue, seemingly infinite canvas and get absorbed by it. To be honest, the majority of people would say that this is a pretty regular sky, of such a sunny spring day. But for Kaito Momota, Japan's most famous astronaut, it always was something special to see. Looking at it directly, with his eyes getting lid through the intensity of the light rays, he could remember perfectly his days inside the cabin, exploring an otherwise dark and deep canvas that conformed the universe itself. When he was a teenager, he pledged that he would turn into a man that would ride across space to discover as many cosmic secrets as he could. And he had success to some extent. A pretty impressive one already, but the eternally youthful man would always feel the hunger to discover more and more.

However, as life advanced and gifted him with many new experiences and lessons, he also discovered that there was still so much to explore in Earth, his homeland. Back in the days, he would defend his planet's uniqueness with an unquestionable will, a fierce passion that many thought was just a serious case of eccentrism. But the Luminary of the Stars had always been living his passions that way, with an unstoppable energy that tried to make him and the rest around him believe that he was capable of anything he thought on taking. And he proved to do so, as this kind of crazy man ended up taking space itself, his true dream, and the one he defended with the same passion as he did with Earth's talent. Thing was that, sometimes, the teen Kaito thought that even if he believed in his own planet's potential more than many of the people he met at that moment, he kind of cloaked a secret thought... The idea that it would never be as fun as the infinite space, as the adjective says it. You can't top _infinity_ , so in order to surpass yourself, you need to take it yourself.

So he finally had his adventures through space, and had time to think in many things while he was living the dream. He often discovered himself in surprise thinking about Earth more than he thought previously. Of course, the dreamt space was his priority even while piloting the cabin, but... Earth turned into something different than he previously considered. He had the pleasure to experience the upcoming potential he always barked out loudly around on firsthand. He met people that definitely changed his life for the better, people who surpassed themselves in a way that made him proud, activating his competitive side and wanting to reach the stars as soon as he could. People he cherished for and loved, who he didn't want to leave back. Subtly, without his reckless way of thinking even realizing it, these people pulled him into a more grounded state at his home planet. As years passed, he realized that... it was truly enjoyable, not any more boring than his space deeds. Earth became infinite too, somehow.

"I'm back! Jeez... I overdid with buying extra supplies but who cares? With how bright the sun is greeting us today, it's the perfect day to enjoy some snacks!" He almost shouted when entering his home's door, carrying a bunch of bags from his little travel to the local market.

"... What are you talking about? I even wrote the list for you... Can't you hold yourself back a bit? We don't need that much..." The quiet voice judged his acts quickly, and it was what he was kind of expecting. In fact, he just talked that joyful nonsense to make her bite back at him. He truly learnt to like these little bites from their time together. Maki Harukawa, a person who didn't have anything similar to a normal, stable and happy past, previously clouded with a social and emotional knot that confronted his own forward way of seeing life directly. During their high school days, they were like two trains colliding, but in the depths of their engines, they were fed by the same fuel. Two passionate souls that wanted to follow a dream: one being unable to reach a simpler one, the other seemingly aiming too high. They both helped each other, attuning to grow in the best of their sides, and then impulsing to truly reach what they wanted. For Kaito, they ended up vibrating like the most beautiful of the constellations, leading to form one by themselves. They ended up marrying each other, and forming a connection he believed would be infinite. And that belief was what turned it real, as they always kept the same infinite energy they had for each other since the days they just had talents and many inner hopes.

"Mama! Don't say that!" The youthful voice came booming between them almost instantly, following some nervous footsteps. As soon as Kaito was entering the living room, the little girl tackled him, only to start searching into the shopping bags with vivid eyes. "Papa must get used to our planet's stuff after passing soooo much time in space without all these things! Look, look... He couldn't eat cookies... Forgetting about them would be so sad..."

Here was the most important star in their constellation, brightening as potent as the sun itself. Through Akari, now a lively nine years old, Kaito could see the same sunlight he fathomed previously in a perfect way. Perhaps that was the reason he could get absorbed into a morning, clear sky for as much time as he did with a starry night every day he could. Because he couldn't stop thinking about his own star for too long. A proud smile formed in his expression as his daughter grabbed the box of chocolate cookies and opened it in a blink. He couldn't help but share her jovial intensity, ruffling her hair so strongly that she closed her eyes tightly while eating some with enthusiasm. "Heh, that's the spirit, _star shine_! Harumaki might act as bitter as she wants, but I can assure you that a little snack won't hurt you on any way!"

Maki, who was reading a bunch of reports while sitting at the couch, sighed deeply, two fingers rubbing at her frown. "You won't stop, aren't you? It's a case of modesty, not health. You two would eat the world if you could, and you'll grow up too spoiled in the end." Her red eyes looked at the astronaut sharply, an eyebrow rising. "I know that Akari will know how to make up before that happens. But what about you, Kaito?" By time, Kaito noticed that her wife has developed a kind of... funny accusative tone that worked perfectly as a familiar joke to leave him in evidence without taking it so seriously. It was a tone that Akari was capable of reading quicker than him, and she would laugh with her mother's words to jump in the same bandwagon. "Ah, papa! You won't grow up ever! Hahaha!"

"Oi? Don't push against me that much, you two! The Luminary of the Stars is connected to the the universe itself... He keeps on expanding, learning something new every day! So of course I'm not growing up at all, it won't be any proper of someone as special as me!" This type of bravado remembered them of the teenager days, where he was seriously stubborn as his words intended, with a big, fabricated ego to follow. Now it worked like a light joke with their daughter, and through hearing it... he could see it in Maki's eyes. The complicity that told him she believed he grew up for real, standing at her side. What they were living today wouldn't be possible without that change, and that's how someone as dreamy as Momota was finding his spot to stay on Earth. Akari has become the infinite universe he wanted to keep exploring and learning about as much as the real one.

"So, if the Luminary keeps on learning every time, every day like he says with so much pride..." Maki rolled her eyes around, keeping the playful attitude on. "Doesn't he think he can teach something to those who need his guidance right now?" The red orbs stopped moving and centered into Akari, who looked at her mother with a surprised expression. The kid instantly turned her head to look at Kaito effusively. He had always been a quite good storyteller himself, while being an unreliable narrator. The childish passion that transmitted through his often exaggerated, mostly made-up words from rather pretty normal events that happened during his life out of his astronaut career was kind of endearing by itself, turning him into a very good fairytale composer by improvisation. And, of course, Akari adored that from her father considering that she inherited the same reckless, impulsive behavior that Kaito always had. In fact, he took this moment to smile proudly and pose with a smug expression towards his wife and daughter, thumb poking repeatedly against his chest. "That was what I was waiting to hear! Heh... It's clear that you miss the many important words that the Luminary may have for everyone. But this time, Akari, we aren't going to talk too much. We're going to act! Together!"

Maki remained silent for a moment, blinking in surprise as trying to read the unexpected movements of the so called Luminary. He knew that he could still be a box of surprises whenever he wanted, he just needed to play his cards with a theatrical touch. However, this time it wasn't a childish facade. Since the day started, and he looked directly at the sunny yonder out the fresh, spring air, he thought in opening a little bit of himself to her daughter. Patting her head, he waited like his wife, enjoying the almost exploding excitement of the little girl. "What is it papa? What is it?!"

He could detect Maki's subtle smile again, knowing that she adored when he found a way to make these small emotion shivers, like sparkles, to appear through their daughter's excitement. He remembered that once, below one of the cold nights of their high school times , the usually quiet and firm girl confessed to him that his own stubborn passion rekindled a sentiment buried in the depths of her heart, and produced the same sparkles that Akari was now experiencing. Since that moment, he made sure that his own heroic exaggerations wouldn't fade ever, wanting to see these cosmic sparks blossoming again. There's how he added some maturity to his otherwise called idiotic behavior. For a father, being able to ground himself at the level of his child was a must, and it was a trait that her wife seemed to really like about him. _Kaito Momota, eternally youthful, an infinite legend_. It would be a good catchphrase for a book about himself, he thought for a moment.

But this wasn't his moment, it was Akari's, which for him turned into someone much more important than himself. He didn't talk back to her doubts and instead, grabbed her small hand firmly, guiding her to the house's study room. For her daughter, it wasn't an unfamiliar place at all, filled with many research books and encyclopedias and a pretty ample working desktop. There was something curious about this room, as the table always looked busy with documents and annotations. When dad was out in space, this room remained like this for too long, with the occasional pass of her mother when she needed to check something for work or when they talked with him through the computer. Maki always left Kaito's chaotic mess of notes and documents untouched, as he usually found his center in the chaos through working, and for the kid it was... like feeling that her dad was still there, despite the many months, the many kilometers up there that separated them. So now, he could feel that there was a certainly excited sentiment in the fact that they were both in this room physically, and he could only smile fondly.

"The plants grew a looooot since you went up there, papa!" The little kid said, almost running towards the iconic decoration of the room. He felt surprised that it was the first thing she came up with once stepping there.

"You know? You have a special intuition for real, star shine... That's why I wanted to bring you here. The flowers look beautiful during spring! And look at these branches, full of green... full of life. Doesn't it remember you of something?" He turned, after caressing a couple of colorful leaves himself.

"Life is meant to be lived! With as much passion as we can show! Dreams exist to be followed!" Akari posed like an heroine herself, imitating the clenched up fist gesture that her dad was usually found pulling when he got too excited with his explanations.

"That's it! _The impossible is possible! All you gotta do is make it so!_ " Saying that, following the little hero theater he was forming with his daughter, Kaito could feel the nostalgic sentiment through his skin. There was a day when he said those words so seriously, when sky was still unreachable for him... And thinking twice, he never stopped believing in them. They had been key words to his own life style and motivation, and of course he would teach them to the next generation. But, at the same time, Momota was a grown up man now, and he knew that it wasn't simply enough to go without a plan, just recklessly advancing without looking at what was around yourself. He knew perfectly, through his trips and errors, that everybody that truly wanted to reach their dreams needed to make a proper path to do so. And nature was the best example for this. "I'm glad that you still remember these important words! Look around... Spring is like a colorful explosion of fireworks! But if we don't focus, we can't find perfect harmony around it."

Akari blinked, looking around indeed. That was the most special trait about this study room. As like a token for his love for the planet's potential, Kaito really loved house plants. Both grounded and hanging flower pots decorated the entire place, and during spring, the many flowers and branches surrounded different corners of the place, virtually expanding it and letting anyone who entered to feel a fresh, natural breeze. It was inspirational for him. But, as his grandparents taught him before, plants needed a lot of attendance. A reckless attitude wouldn't help at all with the patience and sense of balance that these green friends needed. Thinking about it deeply, the moments when he sat down as a kid next to these very special persons to him, cutting branches and stylizing the different pots, learning the necessity of each species and getting surrounded by a kind of magical harmony while doing so, where really moments when he could stop in his unstoppable impetus and ponder internally for a while. Connecting to the planet through one of its gifts, nature itself, which turned into connecting with himself. A momentary calm that years later he saw reflected in Harumaki's behavior, which turned into a magnetic force that pulled him to stay next to her. To learn from her and, at the same time, help her to blossom from her true persona's seeds. And in the end, the two were the ones that blossomed in a beautiful way. He had a lot to learn at that time, too.

He could see now that blossoming in the beautiful bud that was Akari, and that's why he loved this planet to roots. His own star was there, and he wanted to teach her about that caring path now.

"If we don't take proper care of them, these many branches and petals would grow erratically, without a proper purpose. As heroes, we need to guide them, make them look beautiful. We can learn how to inspire others if we can read what's beautiful about them, which virtues lay behind the traces that might misguide far from them." Kaito said, grabbing the gardening toolbox and sitting in front of a couple of pots, prompting the little girl to sit at his side. "Do you understand, Akari?"

His words sounded so serious and deep that Akari blinked, a bit confused as not being used to look at her dad in that way. He smiled with tenderness in his expression, knowing that these would be words that he would've told to a younger self now. Though, his daughter was quite smart, and of course the sentiment was shared. Perhaps she couldn't grasp all the extent of his sudden, deep thought, but she could feel the soul that Kaito imprinted on them. She sat down with a frown on her expression, decorated with pure determination, which was evidenced when she rolled up the sleeves of her shirt.

"We're gonna take care of the plants together!" Akari said, and then Kaito softened, laughing with the same determination and opening the toolbox with a kind of dramatic gesture. "You know it! It's gardening time... Let's give our friends everything we've got!"

They lost the sense of time passing as they got to work together, the astronaut guiding his daughter through every step of the caring activity. With patience, precision, enjoying their time... but also booming through a clash of their both very loud, passionate personalities. Kaito taught his child the same way his grandparents did with him, but he did it with the style you expect from the Luminary of the Stars. Each branch cut was a special technique, each species explained with fantastic, tale-like metaphors, spraying water turned into an heroic act by itself... They both were teaching and learning, and at the same time playing a wonderful game that worked naturally between them. The kind of communication he always told proudly that was the most important trait for an astronaut. An unique connection between father and daughter.

Between loud words and laughs, he didn't notice that Maki has been standing next to the door frame, looking at her family with fulfilling pride over her expression. But it was impossible that the astronaut couldn't notice her presence there, like a guardian angel looking over two kids. This was what being at home meant, relying in a familiar sentiment that let him continue growing through a relaxed, calm path he didn't think on walking by many years ago. And now, the seeds that were planted once turned into a beautiful sunflower. Quite literal, as looking at who was standing next to him. There was no way they would leave her as only a spectator at their activity.

This was their lively planet. Their home land. And they formed the most important constellation, shining with incandescent joy.

"Hey, Harumaki! Come here!" Kaito said effusively, getting up and almost jumping at Maki, grabbing her hand firmly and pulling her towards them. "You must show her your technique! You don't know about mama's secret skills..." He said with added mystery in his tone.

"Secret technique? ... I don't think you're prepared to see that." At first, Maki looked back at her husband with the usual sharp gaze, so serious that it barely felt like she was judging his pushy attitude. But far from that, it raised their daughter's attention, who turned to shake her arms at her mother. "I wanna see that, mama! Show me!"

"Do you really want me to leave the hero in evidence?" She challenged, smirking funnily. Kaito backed with a funny frown, reading her intentions. "Tch, what evidence? I helped on that! My will was so inspiring that it came to you like a shooting star when I was up there, Harumaki!"

As they shared a couple of defiant stares to each other, feeling electric, Akari burst into a joyful laugh that inevitably made their parents melt, and then turned to look at her with a softer expression. "Hahaha! You're so funny! Mama, papa... It's great when you are together at home!"

These words were enough for them to move like syncing, sitting next to each of her sides. Kaito was the one smirking now, as Maki chose one of the pots carefully. The bush and flowers over them... It was the same species she first took care of when the astronaut told his gardening secrets to her back in the day. She smiled fondly, and extended her hand. Kaito put the cutting tool over it, through the attentive stare of their daughter, who now awaited expectant in silence.

"Listen." It was Kaito the one that was adding mystery to his words now. "Your mama's so good with cutting bad branches that... She can form the most beautiful stars out of our friends."

"W-Woah! For real?! And do they shine too?!"

Maki giggled sweetly after that reaction on the peculiar words that the astronaut used to describe her own dexterity, grabbing the tool with firm intention and starting to cut in order to form the star-like shape. "I found my own way to approach to the stars nearer when your dad was doing the same around the space... It connected us, and now you're going to learn that secret, Akari. So pay attention." Kaito looked at his wife with tenderness, and the red gaze subtly turned to return the sentiment, with a soft, calm expression. "About if they shine or not..."

While the green leaves were falling down through each cut, Kaito and Maki's gaze turned to look both at the beautiful flower that was looking at them with such fulfilling innocence, and the astronaut talked without any doubt in his words.

"I think you already know the answer, _star shine_."

**Author's Note:**

> Wrote this story for Manda, a wholesome writer you can find here and on Twitter as @signelchan, as part of the #momoharuexchange2019 event held at @momoharuevents. She asked for comfortable family dynamics, so I thought on making a sequel to the fic I made for last year's exchange, as they share the same thematical feel! This time the point of view is centered in Kaito, and Akari has gotten bigger (with so much energy to share!).
> 
> Like in the other fic, Akari and some of the headcanons used here belong to Yuli (@__shslprince) who always makes not only great art, as many inspirational ideas about momoharu.
> 
> Check both of these wonderful artist, they're great!
> 
> And hope you enjoy the ride, Happy Holidays you all!


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